SCA Adirondack Program
Project Dates: May 30th- October 21nd Program Coordinator: Zac Ballard Email: zballard@thesca.org Project Leader: Henry Adams email: HAdams@thesca.org Project Leader: Adam Larson email: alarson@thesca.org
Eileen Kim
Eileen comes to the Adirondacks from New Jersey and is a recent graduate of Villanova University. She majored in political science with a concentration in international studies and minored in French and peace and justice studies. She has come in search of a new experience, reconnecting with the outdoors with new people. She strongly believes in the SCA's mission and is excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve in the Adirondack Park. Eileen hopes to continue her studies after her time with the SCA. She enjoys sleeping next to fires.
August 23-27: 5 day Field Crew
1. Curtis Clearing, Siamese Ponds Wilderness
Our main goal was to harden a number of wet and muddy areas on the trail between Curtis Clearing and Siamese Ponds. This involved creating adequate drainage, installing stepping-stones, reinforcing the sides of the trail with rocks and filling the space with gravel. This all proved to be effective, providing a comfortable, dry walking surface. One 75-foot section of trail was so impassible we had to create a re-rout utilizing the same techniques we had at the other locations. The week was challenging, with rain, deep mud and perpetually wet boots, but we persevered and left the trail in much better condition than when we arrived.
2. Invasive Species Removal
This was the last project the crew had working with the Nature Conservancy, but one of the most productive. They worked in wetland areas for the majority of the week removing Purple Loosestrife, gathering a total of 75 full garbage bags! A large volunteer group was organized for two days to assist with the project; this included a one-day visit from the crew at St. Regis. The crew also spent time creating small lanes in a wetland area to allow later access for spray application for the control of Phragmites.
3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
The crew returned to continue work on Long Pond. They were successful in their efforts and were able to work on sites located on Pink Pond and Turtle Pond as well.
4 Santanoni Historic Preserve, Various Projects
The crew started the week working on the Great Camp, staining the front porch and the palisades. The next two days were spent disassembling decking on two bridges and installing new decking. The final day was spent finishing the staining at the Great Camp.
August 2-11: 10 day Field Crew
1. Mitchell Pond UA Trail, Moose River Plains Wild Forest
We returned to the site of the universally accessible trail to finish the project from some weeks earlier. The work went well, and after a few days the crew from Chase Lake joined us. It was exciting to have extra hands working on the project. We were able to get most of the work done that the project required. We dug out the access trail to the lake, filled in around the campsite and half the trail with gravel, and left the project ready to be easily completed by the DEC staff.
2. Chase Lake Lean-to
The crew headed out, excited to demolish an old lean-to and construct new one one in its place. They started out tearing down the existing lean-to, bagging all of the garbage and dispersing the biodegradable timber components. They flattened and cleared the site making it useful for tent camping. Unfortunately they were unable to start construction on the new lean-to due to a cancelled helicopter flight containing the building materials. Fortunately for them there was plenty of work at Mitchell Pond, so they moved to that site to assist our other crew. This led to the formation of a formidable super-group-work-force, the likes of which had never been seen.
3. St. Regis Pond Campsites, St. Regis Canoe Area
Work continued on schedule, making good progress over the 10 day period. This week, sites were rehabilitated and moved on Long Pond, located to the South West of the previous work sites.
4. Santanoni Historic Area, Various Projects
We preformed invasive plant removal of Japanese Knotweed on the first day. We then prepared the boathouse near the gatehouse main entrance to be roofed. We removed asphalt shingles and took out some rotten roof boards. We also repaired some of the interior floorboards. The next day we started to shingle the roof using cedar shingles. By the end of the week the roof was nearly complete. While working independently over the weekend we went out to the great camp to do some staining of the palisades and siding. On Monday we worked with the DEC operations staff again to cap the boathouse roof as well as painting the eves and main door. While working on the boathouse we took several trips to the Newcomb dump to dispose of the old shingles. This proved to be exciting each trip, never quite sure what treasure was waiting to be uncovered, whether it be a sleeveless leather jacket or dog-sweater.
Hooray for Break!!
Aug 12- 22: Member Summer Break
Everyone took time off for some needed R&R. A few ventured all the way to the West coast, while some stayed close by and just enjoyed having some down time. All said, everyone came back rested and excited to get back into the woods, having seen friends and family and adventure. We were ready for the second half of the field season to commence.
July 27-30: 4 Day Field Crew
1. Invasive Species Removal
The crew hand-clipped and bundled very large sections of Phragmites Australis in a wetland by the side of Highway 86 in Raybrook. They moved up the highway to Cherry Patch Ponds to attack the same plant. Seed heads were cut off mature plants and placed in bags for the dump. A site of purple loosestrife on Highway 30 in Tupper Lake was also pulled.
2. Tennant Creek Snowmobile Bridge Repair
For this project, our team went to the southern part of the park, near the town of Hope. We performed a construction of rocks to stabilize the foundation of a three-stringer bridge, and to help stop erosion of the river banks. Our crew used the grip-hoist to move rocks from out of the river bed and placed them under the bridge. We utilized a high-line and direct pull system with two grip hoists. We placed them by using a three-tier system. Larger rocks were set on the bottom layer; smaller ones in the higher tiers and even smaller rocks were used to support the bridge from underneath. Gaps in the rocks were filled in with other materials and small rocks for stability.
3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
A reporter, Mike Lynch from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, came to visit the crew and conduct an interview, as work continued on the campsite restoration and rehab.
4. Santanoni Historic Preserve, Various Projects
We spent a lot of the week lopping and brushing trails at various sites within the preserve. While doing this we also took some time to set up a new pit privy and path to it as well as installing numerous foot trail signs. We spent the end of the hitch re-aligning and leveling the Henderson lean-to.
Adam Prue
I am from upstate NY , an avid hiker and camper. I am here to give back to the beautiful 6 million acre Adirondack Park and to help keep the park forever wild. I am a recent graduate from SUNY Cortland in the field of Outdoor Recreation with a concentration in Natural Resource Recreation Management. I am excited to put everything I learne in school into practice while living in the backcountry of the 'Dacks
Sailee Clemens
Sailee was born and raised in Coos Bay, OR and went to college at Portland State University in Portland OR. She graduated last June with a degree in Biochemistry. She is most looking forward to learning new skills like dry stone masonry and wilderness first aid. She is fearful about the ferocity of the mosquitoes thinks she will survive. As for personal interests and hobbies, she is a very amateur rock climber, and of course loves the outdoors, hiking, and swimming. She likes to make jewelry and has recently started making cards for birthdays and such. This is her first trip to the east coast, and she is so excited, that she can't wait to get out there.
Alex Zegarzewski
I am 22 years old and from Hope Valley, Rhode Island. I have lived in Michigan the past 4 years while attending Central Michigan University, pursuing my Outdoor and Environmental Recreation major and Natural Resources minor. The SCA Adirondack Program serves as my internship; once completed, I will be completely finished with my major and will be going back to work in December. I enjoy the outdoors very much and when the opportunity to work in the Adirondacks came to me, I had to take it!
Brendan Jacob Whittaker- Project Leader
Brendan Whittaker was born in Augsburg Germany, where his mother was stationed with the US Army. He returned to the US to be raised in the Notheastern New England, spending every summer with his extended families with agricultural background in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, and Maine's dairy lands. Following his musical pursuits at Lebanon High School in New Hampshire, Brendan received a Bachelor of Arts from BArd College in 2005 after four years' study of classical guitar, composition, and carpentry for the Performing Arts center there. He did his first SCA program with the Adirondack Corps that summer, and a year later he was with the Native Plant Corps in Escalante, Utah. Following a two year term of Service with the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa from 2007-2009, he spent a summer hiking along the Appalachian trail. He was lucky to be hired as staff for the Adirondack Program this summer, as it presented a wonderful opportunity to give back to something that gave him so much.
Zac Ballard-Pogram Coordinator
Zac Ballard was born and raised in Central New York. After graduating college, and a brief period working as a brewer, Zac served as a classroom teacher for an adjudicated youth program outside of Buffalo, NY. Becoming tired of having school supplies and text books thrown in his general direction, Zac joined the SCA Adirondack Program in 2004 as a corps member. Following a delightful season in the Adirondacks, Zac went on to work for the National Park Service and the US Forest Service building trails in Arizona, California, Alaska, and West Texas. He has also spent time as an environmental educator and sawyer in the Catskills, a willing worker on organic farms throughout Mexico, and a lazy free loader in Italy. When not tending to his little horse, Zac can usually be found pulling something from the oven or telling a humorous anecdote. This is his third year as a staff member with the SCA.
Member Work Skills Training at the North Country School ; June14-18
Before they got engaged with the field-season of service projects, the SCA members all went through our annual tradition of work skills. This year they spent four days on the North Country School’s 200-acre campus, located in Lake Placid, NY. This is an alternative co-ed boarding/day school that utilizes a working farm, organic garden, and alpine wilderness as a part of their curriculum.
Each morning after breakfast, and packing a lunch, the groups broke off into teams from their camping accommodations, (a big yurt and tents in the woods,) met for a de-brief with their instructor for the day, and then began to perform projects coordinated ahead of time between SCA and North Country School staff.
Under the watchful eye of the instructors, a free-standing pole barn was constructed, a dry-stack retaining wall was begun for a footpath, and massive turnpike structures were built to firm up a mucky section of a woods-track. The members gained hands-on experience from the work and developed skills in dry-stack masonry, carpentry, and rustic timber construction which would allow them to perform quality work throughout the Adirondacks for the run of their program.
Thanks to the organizational talents of the SCA staff, a sponorship agreemnet was reached with MOuntain Dew. There was a competition between the teams, BAHA BLAST, CODE RED, and LIVE WIRE, which was judged by an extraneous and random set of guidelines that gave the prize to CODE RED.
Unfortunately, at the last minute, the prize was cancelled, as Norah Jones did not feel up to thge task of singing from a dirt bike. The travel to Lake Placid had been too much, and the band was fatigued. So a 12 pack of Mountain Dew Corn-syrup Typhoon became the award.
June 28-July 2; 5 Day Field Crew; the first four reports
1. Invasive Species Removal
Ongoing throughout the field season, SCA crews will be partnering up with the Terrestrial Invasive Species Project Coordinator from the Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program.
Invasive species are vigorous growers arriving from other parts of the world through global exchange routes. In the absence of competitors from their native ecosystem, they reproduce and spread at alarming rates. By out-competing the natives they encounter, and forming monocultures, they eventually become a threat to forest and freshwater resources. A nation-wide presence in the US, this is an increasingly expensive part of park management. The SCA crews that go out will be providing hands-on labor as they remove and dispose of Invasives at established sites throughout the park.
This week the crew went down Highway 28 toward Old Forge and Highway 30 by Blue Mountain. After bagging 4 sites of Garlic Mustard and bringing the bags to the dump, totaling 2000lbs of plant material, they focused on a site of Black-Swallowart on private property. The crew then headed over to Crown Point to remove Poison Parsnip and Bull Thistle, plants that produce very bulky bags. After that the crew was at Siamese Ponds Wilderness area, monitoring and removing Yellow Flag Iris. 4 bags of flowers and seedpods came away. The week was finished up close to home pulling Honeysuckle at the end of Sabattis Road.
2. Northville-Placid Trail
The Northville-Placid Trail is a 140 mile trail first hiked end to end by William White in 1947. Running from Northville in the southern section of the park up to Lake Placid in the North, it runs over very wet terrain. This service project required efforts from the crew to mitigate some of the worst sites. The crew began by constructing a new trail to circumvent a pond created by beavers. They then laid foundation for a 35 foot rustic timber bridge over Pine Brook that was designed to be 3 stringers wide. One bank was solid enough to not need any cribbing, while the other needed log cribbing, to raise the level of the sills. The stringers were topped to make a flat walking surface on the site where the Rangers had cut them from Red Spruce trees.
3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
The lands that make up the St. Regis Canoe Area are located off route 30 north of Fish Creek. Numerous beautiful ponds, including St Regis Pond, Little Lake Clear, and Long Pond, have been used by the public for recreational activities since the middle 1800's. This system of waters has seen heavy impact from overnight use. Some of the first users were people from hotels on multi-day excursions, whose guides would establish old school camps that left the traces of cleared vegetation, branches cut for shelter, and fire rings and trash pits. Over time ideal sites received repeated use and became permanently impacted, eventually seeing improved tent platforms resembling houses. By 1976, 32 tent platforms were removed due to Adirondack Park Legislation, but remnants of them such as pipes, cement posts, and garbage dumps remain in the SRCA to this day. Many of the sites were converted to public campsites, and on some ponds, site density has reached the point where visitor crowding is an issue.
As another ongoing project all season, SCA crew will rotate, so each member will have a chance to help the impacted areas be rehabilitated, and open up new designated sites to ensure a spacing that fits Adirondack Park camping regulations.
The first crew set up their base-camp first thing this week on St. Regis pond and began to create a campsite, which included three tent areas that were cleared out with grub-hoes and fire-rakes. An 8X8 fire ring was also constructed. In the following days they closed overused sites, breaking up the impacted soil, transplanting live brush and shrubs, and placing large rocks to discourage continued use. They also moved some sites back from the water to fit the 150ft regulation, breaking up old fire rings and carving new trails. Signs were hung to clearly mark sites for use, and sites not to be used. Priveys were moved by the crew, and surveys were done by Canoe every afternoon to help the DEC Foresters determine the sites’ usage frequency.
4. Santanoni Historic Area, Various Projects
The 12,900 acre Santanoni Preserve, next to the High Peaks Wilderness and the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest Areas, became a part of the New York State holdings in 1972. The building complexes and carriage road at Camp Santanoni are classified as "historic" under the Adirondack State Land Use Master Plan and are now known as the Camp Santanoni Historic Area. This means that the state maintains the buildings and roads, once used by the Roosevelt family, along with a system of trails for a variety of public use in all seasons.
At Santanoni, a variety of projects will be completed by the SCA crew. On the first hitch, or week of work, limbing was a big part of the work. The crew limbed out 10 miles of trail, and removed brush from a 100 X 40 ft total area around parking lots, historic structures and houses. Two large beaver dams were removed. Three crew members and one staff member were able to free the debris of one dam from a bridge it was built onto. The other dam required more work, but the debris was removed and established flow. Care was taken to remove all the brush and debris out of view of the structures and trails.
July 11-July 21: 10 Day Field Crew; the first long one.
1. Valcore Island, Primitive Area, Boardwalk Rehabilitation
This project was located on Valcour Island, which is in Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh. The island is a popular destination for camping, hiking, and beachgoers. It has important historical significance from the Revolutionary War. The main focus of the project at Valcour was tearing up and re-building the supports of two rotten boardwalks. This involved processing felled timbers to use for construction of foundation cribbing. Once in place, the crew nailed the salvaged decking to the cribbing creating a comfortable sturdy walking surface. In addition, the crew built a new section of a 3rd boardwalk and did some trail brushing.
2. Mitchell Pond UA Trail, Moose River Plains Wild Forest
The SCA crew teamed up with the DEC Operations staff from the Northville area and worked a long hard stretch at constructing a universally accessible campsite and water access to Mitchell Ponds. (See photo)
3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
Work continued in constructing new campsites, rehabbing heavily impacted ones, moving sites away from being too close to the water.
4. Santanoni Historic Area, Various Projects
For this hitch at the Santanoni preserve, there were a few jobs done.
The first was a 50ft. bog bridge with rotten or missing stringers, sills that had drifted or needed repair, and some sections that needed to be re-nailed. The crew felled 8 trees, processed them, and carried them by hand to the site. They split up into teams accompanied by Santanoni staff members, and gave the bridge enough TLC to be a safe passage for the next 10 years.
The crew also did extensive brushing on Mt. Adams over the weekend without assistance of agency staff. The second day needed a big push, and with a more stream-lined approach, they were able to finish the trail. A steel bridge was also given some attention by the crew and the DEC Ranger. Safety was a concern for everyone as a loose floor walkway was reinforced by new pieces bolted from below, and a steel support cable was replaced. More brushing was accomplished by the crew along the East River Trail. The crew then finished up the hitch with some basic maintenance around the parking lots.
July 23-26: SCA Northeast Corps Gathering
The crew packed up and left for Bear Brook State Park near Manchester NH. They gathered with Corps crews from Hudson Valley and Massachusetts, and hosted by the NH crew, went through an eventful weekend. Friday night after dinner a talent show provided the Adirondack Crew the opportunity to tell the story of the “Steer horns.” A set of steer horns found in the Adirondack Mountains were wagered in a competition called the “All Corps Challenge,” and lost to the NH crew. Through a musical arrangement of a Johnny Cash song, the story was told. STEER HORNS IN THE SKY.
Saturday all the members put in a day of service in the 4H Community garden at the Massabesic Audubon Center, in Auburn NH. Shade structures were built, lasagna style mulch beds were layered and planted, picnic tables were painted, along with other basic maintenance, compost piles were turned, and a thorough weeding was given all around.
On Sunday, before returning to their mountains and lakes, the Adirondack crew stepped up to the All-corps challenge. They tied for the right to the horns with the Mass. Crew. If not for Rock-Paper-Scissors trickery, the horns would have returned home. YIPPEE AYE EH AH. YIPPEE AYE OH.
July 5-9: 5 Day Field Crew; the second hitch
1. Debar Mountain Trail Clearing
This project was located on the lower section of the trail leading to the summit of Debar Mountain. We camped about a mile in from the trailhead, located off of Mecham Lake Campgrounds. The work involved making the trail more inviting to the general public. We ripped out a useless, dilapidated, bog bridge and replaced it completely. In total it was 30ft. of bride in 2 sections. We felled a 60 foot standing dead Red Spruce tree for replacement materials. The muddy site surrounding it was rehabbed and cleaned to discourage hikers from walking around the new bridge. A new log water bar was put in uphill from the bridge, and some stepping stones were set between the bridge and the water bar. Additionally, we filled 2 large holes that existed before and after a large culvert. The holes were filled with crushed stone made on site, and covered with fill and leaves. This grading made the culvert hardly visible and easily stepped over. We also removed a rusted, jagged 12ft long culvert. It was replaced by 8ft of water bars, made out of rock. Two blow-downs were also cut and cleared. We also lopped about 1.5 miles of trail and cleared 19 water bars and drain dips. Our camps sites and work trails were rehabbed upon leaving.
2. Northville-Placid Trail
A difficulty with a project vehicle meant the first few days were spent around our headquarters cleaning and performing general maintenance. We also maintained campsites along Little Tupper Lake. We collected garbage, trimmed overgrown plants and emptied fire pits of ash. An arrangement was made with the vehicles so we could get back out to the bridge site on the trail across Pine Brook. We finished notching and burying the dead-men of the cribbing structure begun the previous week. We felled a tree and flattened a surface for walking on. One of the 3 stringers was positioned across the brook resting on both the sills. It had yet to be notched or spiked. We also re-vegetated where the tree was cut down. The bridge was later completed and the creek spanned.
3. St. Regis Canoe Area, Various Projects
Work continued along the same lines as the first week, but the crew discovered the joys of packing out trash from 1970s. Apparently some toads were making homes in the deeper layers, so we left those alone, reducing not only our weight to pack out but also the impact on the local inhabitants.
4. Santanoni Historic Area, Various Projects
This week our crew worked more closely with the Santanoni staff members. They cleared the blue trail next to Henderson Lake, which is off the Tahawus Road. The trail had not been trimmed and was barely maintained over the past 15 years. The overgrowth was thick enough that the trail was not even visible in some areas, let alone navigable. The crew split into two teams and worked from either end to meet in the middle of the trail. Unfortunately, there was not enough time in the week to cut the trail to desired level of clearing, (4ft wide, 6ft tall) but we were able to cut through to the satisfaction of the Santanoni staff, as well as Hikers who thanked us for our work. On Friday, the crew trimmed sections of the property at the Santanoni Gate House. The hike to and from the project site was 5 miles and with the additional 15 mile drive, leaving the remaining work there for another hitch
Hank- Project Leader
I am Henry Adams, but most people here know me as Hank. I am in my first year as program staff for the SCA. Prior to coming to the Adirondacks I was a crewmember in 2009 in the Salmon-Challis SCA program. I have always enjoyed hard work, especially in the outdoors, and last year allowed me to specify my skills to trail work. I led a SCA crew for 40 days in South Carolina this spring as a follow up to a crew I was on in the fall at the same location. Coming to the Adirondacks was a goal of mine being a life long New York resident. I wanted to work and live here to become familiar with this beautiful area. I enjoy being outdoors, away from masses of people, music and cooking. This season has been fun and challenging so far, but I look forward to the reward of helping the members become comfortable efficient outdoors persons and trail workers.
Ashton Barker
My name is, Ashton Barker. I first heard about the SCA 2 and a half years ago. My step mom who works at a nature facility told me about it, and at the time I just thought it would be a pretty cool experience to go to another place, and meet some new people. So without really thinking about what it might do for me in the long run I signed up for a high school trail crew in French Creek State Park. I was there for a month, and before I went there I had never really done this kind of work before. I mean I hated work period. I didn't think that would change upon going there. For the most part it didn't until I left, and realized that I missed the work. I didn't appreciate it until I was gone. So for 2 years I thought about how I might have wasted that time I had by being bitter about the work, and thought about that experience alot. I realized that it changed my life. My perspective of myself, the world, and nature. I gained initiative when I left there. So about 9 months ago I was talking to my step mom again, telling her that I was unsure about what to do next, and she mentioned the SCA again. This time around I knew that it was a transformative experience, and welcomed it with open arms. I applied right away, and when I got no responses by email I called the headquarters, and got some feedback from those people. The lady I spoke with basically told me what my chances of getting into each crew was, and advised me to apply for some more. A couple weeks after I spoke with her I got an email from, Zac Ballard, who told me he'd like to set up an interview with me. Before the interview I thought long and hard about why I was applying for this program. What changes I wanted to make in the world, and what experiences I'd like to get out of it. I also thought about how it would help me grow as a person, and I truly believe that it really has helped me alot. I've gained so much more confidence since I've been here. I'm thinking about my future these days, and I'm not afraid of the unknown anymore. The SCA is a huge reason for that. I love the ADIRONDACKS!!
Ian Martin
Ian comes to the Adirondacks from Wilton, New Hampshire. Ian plans on going to college somewhere in the west for Environmental Studies. He hopes to get out and explore as much of this area during the summer here. He hopes The SCA will gain him experience and insight as to what the future will hold for him. Ian really enjoys hiking and music.
Jack Toriello
Jack came here from Warren, Ohio, from which he attended Kent State University where he studied Park and Recreation Management. He hopes to use the knowledge and experience gained from the SCA to someday work in either forestry or the adventure travel business. On top of that Jack hopes to meet plenty of interesting people and come away with some friendships. He loves hiking, camping, sports and water based recreation.
Andrew McCall
Andrew graduated last June from Portland State University in Oregon with a degree in microbiology. He has resided for most of his life in nearby Beaverton Oregon. He is really looking forward to getting outdoors again this summer, and away from civilization. Andrew is excited to work in a large group setting again. He was pleasantly surprised to find the Adirondacks are an excellent location to support one of his favorite hobbies, rock climbing. He is eager to meet more people interested in going climbing with him, even offering the use of his gear.
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